Fiber slush is what I call all of the leftovers from spinning, the bits or lengths of unspun fiber that I can’t bring myself to just throw away.
Using fiber slush is a great opportunity to just play with fiber. It’s not fiber I’ve bought with anything specific in mind, so what I use it for is to stretch my creative spinning and color muscles.
I use it to make batts. Fiber slush is the perfect stuff to make heathered or tweed batts.
I use it on my blending board. Small bits of special shiny fibers really stand out in rolags and mini batts.
I use it to make oddball yarns, just grab fiber randomly and spin. Have you peeked in a yarn shop lately? Mishmash or patchwork yarns are very popular, and all they are are randomly marled yarns.
I use it to practice techniques, art yarn techniques, or worsted lace weight, I’m more likely to practice when the fiber I’m using isn’t something I might be saving for a project.
I use it to think about color, complete with notes, tags and samples in baggies. I feel freer somehow combining colors when they are smaller bits, I see combinations differently. I draft colors together, combine in plies, or just make my own patterned yarn.
What do you do with your fiber slush?
Most of what I have is wool or alpaca. Scrap yarn, scrap roving, moth eaten yarn/unsaveable projects– it all becomes dryer balls. One day I will take these and stitch the into a rug when they get too compressed to use. For now the “thunk thunk” in the dryer works enough for me.
I keep a bag of all the fluff left over from project spins, also what’s left on the drum carder. When I’ve got a fair amount I run this through the carder and spin what I call my “monster mash”. It’s fun and all sorts of colours I wouldn’t normally blend or pair together. It gets me back on track at the wheel before a project spin if I’ve not spun for a while.
thank you for lovely fiber slush from this weekend’s class. as i bagged it up, i thought about spinning it just as you suggest, now for sure i’ll do do between bigger spins.
thank you for lovely fiber slush from this weekend’s class. as i bagged it up, i thought about spinning it just as you suggest, now for sure i’ll do itfor a break between bigger spins.